Creating A “Third Space” in Student Teaching: Implications for the University Supervisor’s Status as Outsider

Source: This article was published in Teaching and Teacher Education, Volume 27, Issue 7,
Author(s): Alexander Cuenca, Mardi Schmeichel, Brandon M. Butler, Todd Dinkelman, Joseph R. Nichols Jr. , " Creating A “Third Space” in Student Teaching: Implications for the University Supervisor’s Status as Outsider", Pages 1068–1077, Copyright Elsevier (October 2011)

The work of teacher education during student teaching typically takes place in two distinct “spaces”: placement sites and college/university settings.

University supervisors created a unique pedagogical space for student teachers.
This space allowed student teachers to learn across different discourse communities.
Yet this configuration led the university supervisors, whose work primarily took place in the field, to feel like “outsiders.”

To redress this concern, a third learning space was incorporated into the authors' student teaching seminar.

The authors suggest that “third spaces” in combination with return-to-campus courses not only mitigates the peripherality of university supervisors, but also amplifies the influence of a teacher preparation program.